Dwayne Monroe

ChatGPT dissidents, the students who refuse to use AI: ‘I couldn’t remember the last time I had written something by myself’ Some college students are beginning to limit their use of artificial intelligence, so as not to hinder their own creativity, discipline and critical thinking

Weird. This doesn’t match what I’ve been told—that students are going to use it no matter what.

From the Department of Self Promotion There is neither gold nor glory to be found in challenging cultural assumptions. Particularly those shaped by propaganda. This is all for the best. In these appearances, I chat with people I respec…

There is neither gold nor glory to be found in challenging propaganda. This is all for the best. In these appearances, I chat with people I respect about the state of the ‘AI’ industry: what is happening and why. monroelab.com/2025/08/03/f...

Check your local listings for this upcoming episode with @cloudquistador.bsky.social !

www.patreon.com/posts/131314...

Hassabis said he could also see AI being used to protect people from other algorithms designed by big tech to drain their attention away from more important tasks. “I’m very excited about the idea of a universal AI assistant that knows you really well, enriches your life by maybe giving you amazing recommendations, and helps to take care of mundane chores for you,” he said. “[It] basically gives you more time and maybe protects your attention from other algorithms trying to gain your attention. I think we can actually use AI in service of the individual.

Current tech is a collection of guys in hotdog costumes saying they have a new thing to save you from the old thing. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

One of the missions of vdgasjournal.com is literary critique, free of admiration for, or obedience to, academic and NYT book chat approaches. Voila.

Verdigris Critique for the Age of Decline

One of the missions of vdgasjournal.com is literary critique, free of admiration for, or obedience to, academic and NYT book chat approaches. Voila. vdgasjournal.com/2025/06/02/h...

The Form of the Invalid and Destitutent Potential by Mike Templeton Sartre made much of the genius of Genet and his ability to reverse our perceptions of the criminal classes, the poor, and the queers who populated Genet’s life and his books. The saints and holy vi…

In this brilliant essay, Mike Templeton describes and dissects what, to me, is central to 'western' thought, the creation of a class: the destitutent: vdgasjournal.com/2025/05/27/t...

May/June 2025: A Shadow For the May/June issue, the theme, loosely defined, is the shadow that haunts everything we do. The darkness isn’t new but now, it has become impossible to ignore. There is, of course, the ongoing …

The May/June issue of Verdigris: A Shadow: vdgasjournal.com/2025/05/26/m...

Worldcon Is Getting Eviscerated for Using AI to Select Panelists The world's longest running SciFi literature convention is being panned for using ChatGPT to select its panelists.

“…in a statement about the planning for Seattle Worldcon 2025 later this summer, convention organizers admitted they turned to a large language model (LLM) to select which panelists to program.”

I also spoke with a former employee of 18F, the federal tech support agency gutted by DOGE.

He discussed how DOGE used its "AI-first strategy" and the hype around genAI in Silicon Valley to help justify their job-killing program.

*This* is the AI jobs crisis—not any far-off robot apocalypse.

A letter from Harvard University addressed to its community regarding the university’s response to an April 16 request from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The letter explains Harvard's compliance with the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) reporting obligations and affirms its ongoing commitment to support international students' visas. It stresses that Harvard does not seek to withdraw from SEVP and highlights the value international students bring to the university. The letter encourages international students to stay focused on their studies and celebrates their academic achievements, welcoming incoming students and acknowledging their dedication.

Continuation of a letter from Harvard University addressing international students and scholars. The message encourages them to stay focused on their academic goals and acknowledges their hard work as the academic year ends. It expresses excitement about welcoming new international students and commends all students for their dedication and resilience. The letter also mentions upcoming guidance for summer travel and emphasizes the value international students bring to Harvard’s educational and research community. It concludes with a note of commitment to student success and is signed by Meredith Weenick, Executive Vice President.

Harvard just handed all school and disciplinary records of international students to DHS. Absolutely contemptible. They're putting their own students in danger and lying by telling them that everything is ok. These students could be black bagged to Louisiana or El Salvador after this.

It was indeed a great conversation which I really enjoyed. I hope it's useful and will inspire viewers to think critically about the tech industry's claims.

Precisely. Any leftist worthy of the label should know this and learn those dynamics from workers. But this is not found in the most prominent spaces claiming to understand such things. All theory, no ground.

I'm convinced the worst thing to happen to the idea of a communist horizon was US academia and, later, the world of 'left' podcasters (always smiling and joking) it spawned. We have fools out here claiming to understand the labor theory of value who can't describe the power dynamics of a supermarket

Vdgasjournal.com is now live. We are focused on writing about real things and supporting writers who are in the world, as we are. Submissions: contact@vdgasjournal.com

Verdigris Critique for the Age of Decline

Ladies, gentlemen, and all genders in between and beyond, I want to introduce you to a new literary magazine I now write for called 'Verdigris'.

Run by editor @cloudquistador.bsky.social and @ddclaxton.bsky.social this magazine commits to critique in the age of decline

vdgasjournal.com

The Cybernetic Brain Reading Group - Reading Two | Cloudquistador Get more from Cloudquistador on Patreon

A reading from chapter one of, The Cybernetic Brain by Andrew Pickering in which, we learn about the history of the word, cybernetics and Pickering's approach to the topic in the book (a focus on first and second generation British cyberneticians): www.patreon.com/posts/cybern...

And this historic assault on labor is nowhere to be found on *any* of the major newspapers' front pages today.

Command and Control: Capitalism and Computation Capitalism, a system as inescapable as breathless news items about Trump, Musk and decay, came into its own during the age of steam power, telegraphs and colonialism (first edition, we’re wit…

Thanks for the mention. A developed form of the argument is here: monroelab.com/2025/02/23/c...

advice many academics don’t deserve & many more will ignore because it’s coming from me: the safest way to travel into the u.s. for something like a conference is to leave your phone & computer at home. maybe get a burner phone if you can. use a pen & paper; you’ll be fucking fine.

🔥 Looking forward to your insights sis!

American leftists cannot fight fascism (unlike the actual Communists of 1920s/30s Germany) because most share the racist beliefs of their supposed foes.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks for joining!

Announcements and audio readings will be posted on Patreon and discussion (ad hoc chat and scheduled meet-ups) will be via Discord

We've now reached a 'critical mass' of six members so time to get this machine in motion. If you're interested, join the free Patreon. www.patreon.com/posts/124383...

Your weekly reminder. Get your org's data off 'cloud'

That's right and consider an example of that short circuiting - the way our natural reaction - a feedback loop - to the suffering of ourselves and others during the first years of the Covid era (back when we reminding each other to hydrate) was deliberately sabotaged via agitprop about 'freedom'

The Cybernetic Brain Reading Group I propose that cybernetics, as a practice area and way of thinking, has been hijacked by the tech industry and the military industrial complex. This has robbed us of a vital tool because we associa…

Inspired by @blackamazon.bsky.social 's interest, I announce The Cybernetic Brain Reading Group. Cybernetics, as a way of thinking, has been hijacked by the tech industry and the military industrial complex. Let's reclaim it: monroelab.com/2025/03/10/t...